How to Choose the Right Colors for Your Brand

The psychology behind how colors make us feel is one of my favorite business + psychology topics. In college, I wrote a research paper about it for one of my marketing courses and have been obsessed ever since. The first branding I started with a few years ago consisted of blues, greens and light brown. It had an earthy, fresh feeling to it.

When I rebranded last year, I kept the blue, but went with shades of coral and pink to give it a more feminine touch. While my business was still related to wellness, it had taken more of a business turn, so my branding changed slightly to reflect that (and my target market).

Why should you put thought into choosing the right colors for your brand?

• 92.6% of people put most importance on visual factors when choosing a product
• Color increases brand recognition by up to 80%
• Color can improve readership by 40%
• Color can improve comprehension by up to 73%

by AttwoodDigital.

I like how this infographic mixes in a few facts in addition to the feelings associated with colors. Plus, it adds global meaning, which is especially important if you have an online business. It's much easier to reach a global market than it used to be, so you should know what message you're giving off.

I like how this infographic gives specific examples, such as red being popular in fast food restaurants and for impulse buyers.

Blue and green are popular among health coaches and wellness businesses because they make viewers think of the earth, nature, freshness, peace, green vegetables, and so on.

The Psychology of Color Break Down:

Red: Exciting, energizing, hot, passionate, impulsive, dramatic, aggressive, dangerous

Orange: Fun, happy, active, friendly, loud, whimsical

Yellow: Joyful, stimulating, surprise, friendly

Brown: Earthy, grounded, steady, natural, durable

Black: Powerful, sophisticated, elegant, nighttime, sober, depression, death, mourning

Gray: Classic, corporate, professional, reserved, basic

White: Pure, clean, innocent, bright, clinical, cold

Blue: Calm, peaceful, water, clean, classic, strong

Green: Natural, healthy, life, growth, spring, renewal

Teal: Serene, cool, tasteful, sophisticated, confident

Purple: Spiritual, mysterious, creative, thoughtful, enchanting

Pink: Feminine, soft, sweet, delicate, compassionate, playful

See a full spectrum here.

Did you think about the colors you were choosing for your brand?